If anyone sees artwork being taken from The Kelly on Company Street, don’t fear — a burglary is not in process.
The Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Center for the Arts is moving to a larger location overlooking the Coosa River and planning a grand opening for June 29.
“We can’t wait to get in here,” Kelly board member Wayne Turner said. “We have so much more space.”
Cliff Williams / The Herald Volunteer Glenda Adams, left, helps wrap some of the artwork as Deborah Blackmon looks in The Kelly gallery on Company Street as the art museum and center prepared to move.
The Kelly will have almost 2 ½ times the floor space and more than three times the wall space for hanging art. But the most impressive feature of the new location on Hill Street is when a guest walks in the door and sees the Coosa River and Bibb Graves Bridge.
“The sun sets right through the panoramic window,” Turner said. “This is a view you can’t see anywhere else.”
The window was an idea tossed around even before The Kelly obtained the building. With renovations, The Kelly decided to keep it and create a balcony as well. The Kelly executive director Jennifer Eifert said there are no plans to block the view of the panoramic window.
“I would love to always be able to sit here and have a cup of tea,” Eifert said. “They will be open generally. When we have receptions we will set the hightops here. It is a great place for a get-together, classes and lots of other things.”
From the balcony history can be seen. The churches across the river are easy to view from the window but so is a bit of history below in the river near the Farmers Market.
“The little rapids up there, you can barely see them when the water is down, that is in the treaty Andrew Jackson signed with the Creek Indians,” Turner said pointing up river. “It was referred to in the treaty as the boundary line.”
It is also visible from another window in the gallery space. From the windows and balcony, wildlife is visible. Ducks have been seen by almost everyone walking along Merchants Alley to Goldstar Park.
“There are beavers here too,” Eifert said. “We have seen them several times.”
Currently Eifert and volunteers are wrapping and packing art in the Company Street location.
“As weather permits it we will move it over to the new location,” Eifert said. “We will move the office area, children’s area and museum shop too. We will hang the exhibit in the middle of June.”
Artist and volunteer Glenda Adams is excited about the new location less than 200 yards away.
“I think it is great,” Adams said. “There is so much more room to display everything and that view.”
Eifert isn’t just giving directions on how to move, she is getting her hands dirty. She is especially proud of the collection of folk artist Woodie Long.
“We went to his studio,” Eifert said. “His wife donated those to us. She gave us 10 pieces. A couple of them are in Dr. Coleman’s office because we don’t have the space at the moment on Company Street.”
Turner has been involved with The Kelly for years and served on the board almost since its inception.
“It is the realization of a dream that started about 12 years ago,” Turner said. “We had space in city hall the city let us use for a while. Of course that couldn’t go on forever. Now we will be able to have really big exhibits, really big functions.”
The Kelly plans to rent the gallery for receptions and more. There is also a Phase II planned to extend the balcony with a walkway through a garden to Merchants Alley.
“I hope we can do that pretty quick,” Turner said. “It will be like a city park.”
Turner sees the new location as an attraction for downtown Wetumpka.
“It will be an event venue,” Turner said. “We expect to rent for receptions and parties. With people coming in on tours, we expect this to be one of the stops on the tour.”
